Protection
By Dr. Troy N. Rust
Note: This article was also featured in the January 8 edition of the Baptist and Reflector as the commentary on the January 19 Explore the Bible Sunday School lesson (Exod 22:21-27; Lev 19:9-10) for Sanctity of Life Sunday.
I do not remember who said it, but I was permanently impacted by the thought that every Christian must decide to live a life of either self-preservation or self-sacrifice. The first option looks like the world, and the second one looks like Jesus. My whole life has been spent in an America that chases hard after unrestrained individualism. Ideas that would have been considered shameful or at least hidden from the public eye in previous generations are now celebrated in the streets and normalized through the media. The expressive individualism of the modern age lives by a mantra that says, “I can live however I want to live and no one can tell me I’m wrong!” This mindset reserves unlimited freedom for self and everyone in agreement, but quickly denies the same freedom to anyone who disagrees. If you follow this thinking to its logical conclusion, you will stop at nothing, including murder, to get what you think you deserve.
When God gave the law to Moses, He included specific instructions for the most vulnerable people in the land, including foreigners, widows, orphans, and the poor. He reminded the Israelites that they were strangers in Egypt, implying that they should have empathy for people without the provisions of their homeland. Have you ever wondered why God brings foreigners to America? We do not know all the details, but we do know that God calls us to show kindness and share the gospel. While we do not want outsiders (or insiders) to break our laws or further paganize our culture, we do want them to worship Jesus. Whether they come for a short visit or stay for a lifetime, we should seek to have as much gospel impact as possible on people coming from other countries. You do not have to support illegal immigration to believe that God brought them here for a life-transforming purpose and that you should play a part in that process.
Abortion was legalized in the United States just under eight months before I was born. Had my parents not feared the Lord, I could have been a “family planning” statistic. Although Roe v. Wade was overturned, many activists are doubling down on the right to abortion at any stage in the name of women’s healthcare. Any honest and discerning person knows that this debate has nothing to do with healthcare. In fact, abortion often does far more to harm the mother than giving birth does. This deceptive narrative is a poor attempt to cover the reality of premeditated murder. Have you ever wondered why our culture is so obsessed with abortion? I think the answer comes down to a few words: responsibility, inconvenience, embarrassment, and pain. The first three are pretty self-explanatory, but what about pain? I cannot imagine the pain connected to rape, incest, or genetic abnormality, but I know the character of our God! Not only does abortion not make these trials magically go away, but it also robs God of the glory He receives in the midst of pain. He can write a powerful ending to a shameful start. He can also conform us to the image of His Son by way of dark valleys we would never seek.